Interlocked bracket and support



April 15, 1947, F. CROUCH 2,418,963

INTERLOCKED BRACKET AND SUPPORT Filed Oct. 23, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 uvmvroa.

Fan/f (rout/1 April 15, 1947. CH 2,418,968

INTERLOCKED BRACKET AND SUPPORT Filed Oct. 23,1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENITOR. Fan/f (raucfi BY Patented Apr. 15, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENTIOFFICE;

2,418,968 I INTERLQCIKED BRACKET AND SUPPORT FrankCrouch, Rockport,-Mass. Application October 23, 1945, Serial No. 624,935

(or. 2 1F223) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to means for interconnecting two members and for supporting one of said members from the other in a plurality of positions.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and efiicient device of the kind described.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind described wherein one member is capable of assuming one position relative to the other when in use and a diiferent position relative to theother when not in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned kind in which the movement of one member from one position relative to the other may be limited to movement in a given direction in a given plane, whereas from another position the first member will be capable of movement and rotation in a plane 90 removed from said first mentioned plane.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the several steps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of the others thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description, and the scope of the application of which will beind-icated in the following claims.

The invention will best be understood if the following description is read in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of the invention shown in collapsed or nonworking position;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view, partly broken away, showing the commencement of the movement of the supported member of the device from nonworking toward working position;

Figure 4 is a front elevation showing the supported member after its movement from working to non-working position has been completed;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the device taken on the line 55 of'Figure 4, with the members related as shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an end view of the device as shown in Figure 4; and

Figure 7 is an end View of the device, partly broken away, showing the supported member after it has been moved out of working engagement with the supporting member and in posi- 2 tion to be rotated through into non-working or collapsed position.

For the purpose of disclosing herein a specific embodiment of the invention I have shown a sup-' porting member 19 in the form of a bracket adapted to be attached to a surface, such for example as a wall of a room, and a member I8 adapted to be interconnected with and supported by the member I9, and which in the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein is adapted itself to serve as a supporting surface or shelf when in work position, as shown in Figures 4-6.

- The member It comprises the backing I2 which is preferably made with a concave portion 53 to provide a suitable seat for a ball member it which is retained in rotatable position against the seat I3 by the front bracket member I5, the central portion of which is spaced from the backing I2 and is provided with a circular cut out It, of somewhat less width than the diameter of the ball I4 to permit a portion of the ball to protrude through the said out out forwardly of the member I6, said front bracket member I5 forming with the backing I2 an effective cage for rotatably mounting the ball M. i

Protruding radially from the ball I4 is a pro jecting arm I! the other end of which is con nected in any suitable way to the member I8 to be supported. The member I8 may differ widely in form and purpose. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein the member 58 is shown as a shelf.

The supporting member ID is provided with a recess illustrated herein as a slot I9 extending radially downward from the circular cut-out It in the face of member I5. On the ball I4, adjacent the arm I! and below' the member I8, when the latter is in work position, is a project'ion or portion of increased diameter 29, having a central portion 28 approximately equal in width to the width of the slot I 9, extending beyond the laterally extending shoulders 20 When the member-to-be-supported, I8, is in work position the downwardly projecting portion or tongue, 20 of projection 20 on ball l4, extends into the recess provided therefor by the slot I9, and the engagement of the projection in the said recess limits rotation of ball I4 in the plane of the work position of member l8, and the shoulders 29*, which project laterally in both directions from 29 and extend over the surface of the front member I5 of bracket member I9 adjacent the recess or slot I9, constitutes stop means serving to limit rotation of ball I4 downwardly with respect to member ID. Thus member I8 is positioned in a stable work position from which it can be moved only upwardly with respect to member l0. With the projecting tongue portion 20 of the projection 20 seated in the recess or slot I'9 the member I8 is thus adapted to provide a dependable supporting surface and any objects placed thereon will add to the gravity lock tending to hold member IS in its relative position with respect to member 10.

When it is desired to unlock member l8 and to move it into non-working position it is only necessary to move member l8 upwardly, thus causing ball I4 to rotate within bracket member ID in a plane at right angles to bracket I0, until the tongue portion 2i! of projection 20 has moved out of recess or slot l9 after which ball l4 may be rotated in either direction through 180 to bring member l8 from the position shown in Figure 7 to the non-working or collapsed position shown in Figure 1. The arm I"! adjacent its point of union with ball I4 is preferably made of a size so that when member [8 is in fully collapsed, nonworking position, as shown in Figure 2, it will, along a portion of its length, extend between and be engaged by the walls of the recess or slot [9 thereby locking the member I8 against accidental displacement from its collapsed or non-working position.

In order to move member l8 from non-working to working position it is only necessary to raise member l8 slightly, thus causing rotation of ball M to disengage arm I! from the recess or slot l9, at which time the parts will be in the relative position shown in Figure 3, from which position member I8 may be moved into working position by being rotated through approximately 180 in either clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, whereupon the tongue portion 20 will again seat in the recess or slot l9 thereby causing member l8 to be again positioned in working position, and locked against displacement except in an upward direction to initiate the return of member I8 from working position to fully collapsed non-working position.

In its collapsed or non-working position the device is adapted to occupy a minimum of space. It may be very quickly and readily moved into working position when desired. For example, in the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated herein the member ID may be utilized as a wall bracket and secured to a wall, such for example as the wall of a lavatory and the member I 2 may be utilized as a folding or collapsible shelf which is adapted to lie flat against the wall, out of the way, when not in use, and which may be readily positioned for use, and employed as a shelf, as for example for supporting toilet articles and the like. Many obvious applications of the device will suggest themselves, such for example as the employment of the device where space is very limited as for example in a train or plane sleeping room or lavatory.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention an article in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the are herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth'or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. Support means comprising a bracket having two surfaces separated to receive a ball between them, one of said surfaces being cut away to permit a portion of said ball to project outwardly of said cut away surface, said cut away surface also having a slot extending radially from the cut out through which the ball projects, a member to be supported, a ball connected with said member and rotatably engaged between said surfaces and protruding through said out out, and a projection on said ball adapted in one position of the ball to seat in said slot and to thereby limit rotation of said ball from one position of the ball while permitting rotation of the ball in a plane removed from said first plane.

2. Support means comprising a bracket having front and rear surface portions which are separated to receive a ball between them, a ball rotatably engaged between said surfaces, said front surface having a cut away portion aligned with said ball permitting a portion of the ball to project beyond said surface, a member to be supported connected to the ball, a clover leaf projection protruding from the portion of the surface of the ball which projects beyond said front surface, said front surface having means adapted to engage said projection, when the ball is rotated in one plane, to thereby limit rotation of the ball except in a direction to disengage said projection, without preventing rotation of the ball through 360 from an unlocked position in a plane at right angles to said plane.

FRANK CROUCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

